


What We Can Learn Together

by Ultra



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Genre: Books, Canon Compliant, Character Development, Dancing, Developing Relationship, F/M, Friendship, Fun, Gen, Music, Painting, Reading, Sailing, Self-Discovery, Some Humor, Violins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:29:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26974435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: Belle has been reading so many books from Beast's library and learning about all sorts of new skills she might try and talents she would hope to have. Now it's time to step outside of the box with the help of her new friends, including Beast.
Relationships: Beast & Belle (Disney), Beast/Belle (Disney)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 14
Collections: 2020 Disney Animated Movie Exchange (DAM Exchange)





	What We Can Learn Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [narlyenatvanya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/narlyenatvanya/gifts).



> narlyenatvanya - thank you for your prompt, which inspired me so much, as you can probably tell by the length of this fic! I hope it is what you were wishing for :)

“We have a sail boat!”

Chip’s cheerful declaration made Belle smile, though she was unsure whether she could exactly believe what he was telling her. He was essentially just a little boy and he did sometimes get carried away.

“Not a _real_ sailing boat,” she said gently. “What I mean is, not one so big that we could all ride in it?”

“Sure, we could!” Chip told her happily. “I’ve seen it, it’s _huge_!” he said, bouncing up and down in place on the desk, before suddenly coming to a halt and frowning. “Hmm, but it belongs to the Master, and he’d _never_ let us go sailing.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Belle considered. “I don’t think there would be any harm in asking,” she said, eyes skimming back over the pages of the book she had been so enthralled by these past two days. “I’ve read so very much about the proper way to handle a small vessel, it would be nice to try out the skills I’ve learned by heart, and it’s not as if we could come to much harm on the lake, is it?”

She didn’t wait for Chip to answer, not least since she had mostly been talking to herself anyway. Suddenly up from her seat, she clasped the book to her chest and went rushing out of the library, hoping to find Beast in a good mood. He was so very changeable in his attitude, at one moment completely polite and pleasant with her, and in the next, so brutish and more like the animal he was in appearance.

Today, it seemed, was a lucky day, for Beast was in a perfectly amiable frame of mind. Though he did laugh a little at Belle’s expense when she explained that she wished to try her hand at sailing, he soon agreed to her giving it a try if she really wanted to. He instructed Lumiere to show her where to find the vessel and supplies she might need and then went back into his room, shutting the door behind himself with a bump.

Belle was surprised to find she was disappointed. While it was perfectly kind of Beast to let her make use of his boat, she had almost wished he might have wanted to come along with her and join in the fun. Perhaps she ought to have known better. Belle chose not to worry about it, her enthusiasm for the activity buoyed up by Chip being more excited than anyone else she had ever known at the prospect of a fun adventure.

Two hours later, they were out on the lake, Belle armed with her book, concentrating hard on pulling on the right ropes and keeping the boat travelling in the right direction. Lumiere and Cogsworth were both on hand to assist, so they said, but honestly, they spent more time arguing with each other than being of any help to Belle.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” she said to herself, as she adjusted the sail a little more and then sat down comfortably, watching the world go by. “Look, Chip, we’re really sailing.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, the usual white shine of his porcelain beginning to look oddly green somehow. “Sailing’s great,” he said, grimacing terribly.

Whether it was the little cup’s apparent sickness that influenced her or whether it would have happened anyway, Belle couldn’t be sure, but the longer they bobbed about on the lake in the boat, the more she started to feel a little nauseous herself.

Getting up to make adjustments to the sails so the boat would turn and go back the way they came, Belle felt her stomach turn somersaults and suddenly wished she were back on dry land.

“Lumiere, Cogsworth, could you... could you go ashore and tie the ropes?” she urged them the moment they were close enough.

“Well, certainly, Mademoiselle,” the kindly candelabra told her, “but surely, you are not done yet? You were doing so well, was she not, Cogsworth?”

“Oh, yes, yes, very well indeed,” the clock agreed, “but if you insist in stopping here, before any harm should befall the Master’s craft, I’m sure I wouldn’t mind at all.”

As Belle nodded her agreement to ending her journey at once, the two went ashore and tied off the ropes. They had barely completed the task before Belle shot by them both, off the boat and into the castle in the winking of an eye. Though Lumiere called after her, she was unable to answer with her hand clamped over her mouth.

Perhaps sailing was not for Belle after all.

* * *

“Keep these things in your room, then if you make a mess, you’re the one who will have to live with it,” said Beast, firmly but not unkindly, as he gestured to his servants, each with armfuls of art supplies for her.

Belle smiled and thanked him for his kindness. After all, it was barely a week ago that he had let her borrow his boat, and now, following her next whim, he was happy to supply her with paints and brushes, an easel and canvasses. There was no way for Belle to know if she would really be good at painting, but she had read a great deal on the subject of late, and she didn’t think there was any harm in trying.

Soon enough, she had herself all set up ready to begin, with a large bowl of fruit before her on the table that she could sketch and then paint. For all that she knew of the great still life artists like Caravaggio and Claesz, Belle found it wasn’t quite so easy to replicate their techniques.

For hours and hours that day, Belle did her best, but when she was done, she could not say she was particularly proud of her artistic efforts.

“Perhaps it’s not really something that can be learned,” she said, stepping back and staring at her painting.

No amount of squinting, nor tilting her head to the left or right truly improved it at all.

“Sacrebleu!” Lumiere exclaimed, suddenly alongside her. “Oh, Mademoiselle, what a treat, what a triumph!” he declared. “There has never been a finer painting of... of...”

Out of the corner of her eye, Belle saw him nudge Cogsworth too hard in the back then heard the clock cough and stammer.

“Oh, yes, a most remarkable example of artistry. A near-perfect depiction of... of...”

“Heaven preserve us!” Mrs Potts said then as her hostess trolley pulled up sharply on Belle’s other side. “You are a marvellous young lady, Belle, but I’m not so sure painting is quite your strong suit, my dear. Why don’t you have a nice cup of tea and forget all about it?” she said kindly.

As Lumiere and Cogsworth continued to awkwardly stutter and choke, Belle only laughed and accepted Mrs Potts kind offer.

Perhaps painting was not for Belle after all.

* * *

Belle felt herself wincing along with everybody else, including the sentient violin in her hands, as she once against attempted a scale. After her successful but nauseating attempt at sailing, followed by her dubious success at painting, she had indulged in a series of books on the topic of music. Now, some days later, she had come to the conclusion that she might take up an instrument. The violin had always fascinated her and she was eager to learn. Unfortunately, the process seemed to be long and arduous.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologised once again the poor instrument that seemed to be physically pained by even her best attempts. “Would you like me to stop?”

“No, no, mon cheri,” Lumiere insisted, though Belle noted he had cotton balls sticking out where his ears would be. “You are improving, I am sure of it. Violette would not hear of you giving up so soon.”

Belle would like to argue with him on that point, but decided that it was no good her just giving up at the first obstacle with all of her activities. She must persevere with at least one if she was ever to really achieve anything. Starting again, she tried her best to play the scale, smiling as she got at least two or three notes correct, only to wince again as the bow made a scraping sound against the strings.

“What are you doing?”

His voice startled her, but Belle tried not to jump too obviously. Turning towards the music room door, she found it wide open now, Beast standing in the gap, staring at her and wearing a scowl.

“I was trying to learn a new skill,” she explained, removing the violin from under her chin, “but I’m starting to think it’s hopeless,” she told him sadly. “I don’t seem to be very good at anything.”

She expected no particular sympathy from him. Certainly, he had been reasonable and accommodating in providing her whatever she needed in pursuit of each of her chosen pastimes in the past few weeks, but she did not suppose he cared too much about her failure or success. Belle started to wonder if she was wrong about that when he suddenly came further into the music room and spoke softly to her.

“I used to play the violin.”

“You did?” she checked, wide-eyed and astonished, immediately seeing the hurt in his eyes. “Oh, I mean, of course, you did,” she back-tracked with a smile. “I’m sure you’re very skilled and well-educated. Would you play something?” she asked, offering up the instrument that somehow managed to appear terrified of what might happen next, despite having no facial features to speak of and making no sound.

“I... I can’t,” Beast confessed, looking down at his paws, “not now, but I could help you,” he offered. “I could tell you some of the things my music teacher would tell me, go through the lessons with you, answer any questions.”

“Well, that would be very kind.” Belle smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Beast assured her, as they began to work together on teaching Belle her chosen instrument.

Unfortunately, even with Beast’s assistance, Belle did not improve very much at all. Though she did her best to put her fingers where instructed on the violin’s neck and to move the bow just exactly as Beast advised, all she seemed able to make was a din rather than the sweet music she had hoped for. To his credit, Beast tried so hard to keep his temper, but the pressure was beginning to catch with him and Belle did not want to cause either of them any more distress than was necessary.

“I’m sorry,” she said, once again removing the violin from under her chin. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate you trying to help me, I just don’t think that music is my forte.”

She sighed as she placed the instrument gently down on the table, trying not to be stung by the way Viola visibly sighed with relief. Belle so loved music, but when she tried to read the notation, it simply made no sense to her, and though she did her best to take instruction well, she failed so spectacularly, after several hours, she simply could not bear to go on.

Perhaps the playing of music was not for Belle after all.

* * *

After all her attempts at learning new skills proved to be in vain, Belle went back to reading books of fictional tales that might expand her mind and fuel her dreams, rather than trying to find a new talent she could add to her repertoire. She supposed there would be time to try more things of that nature at a later date, but for now, she was content with fairy stories and adventure yarns.

“And they all lived happily ever after,” she said to herself with a grin, closing the book she had just now finished reading. “That is how it should be,” she added, giggling as Sultan jumped up to meet her hand that gently petted him. “I don’t think I could ever grow tired of these stories or this library,” Belle declared as she got to her feet, stepping lightly and spinning a circle as she crossed the floor to the shelf where this particular book belonged and putting it back in its proper place.

Humming to herself, she searched along the length of the library wall then to find her next source of reading material. With skipping steps and twirls she moved daintily from shelf to shelf. She did not know she had any audience to speak of, not until he suddenly cleared his throat and gained her attention.

“Excuse me, Belle,” said Beast, standing tall with his hands clasp in front of him. “I was hoping to talk with you... about another skill you might wish to learn.”

“Oh,” she said, shaking her head. “I hadn’t really thought to try anything else, after the violin lesson went so badly. That one really was a shame, because I love music almost as much as I love books,” she declared with a sigh.

“I know,” Beast told her with a hint of a smile. “It is why I wanted to... to teach you to dance, if you would like to learn?”

“To dance?” Belle echoed. “Oh, I’m sure I couldn’t-”

“But I’ve seen you dance,” he cut in, immediately seeming to regret it when she flinched at his tone. “What I mean is, you sometimes dance by yourself. I’ve seen you from the window and... and I’m sure you could easily learn. I know I am not the ideal partner...”

“I don’t see why you couldn’t be,” she told him, smiling in his direction until finally his eyes came up from the floor and met her own gaze. “If you know how to dance, why shouldn’t you be an excellent teacher?” she asked, moving closer. “I promise not to be as trying as I was with the violin.”

She was sure he wanted to laugh at that and yet somehow seemed as if he wouldn’t dare, just in case he offended her. Belle couldn’t help but be touched by his concern, or by the kind gesture he was making by offering to teach her to dance.

“Very well. I’ll meet you in the ballroom in an hour. Lumiere will show you the way.”

Before she could respond at all, he had turned on his heel and was gone. Belle stared after him for a moment, then shook her head and smiled. Though he may be a beast in looks and sometimes in temper, he could be uncommonly kind and sweet and gentle when he wanted to be. It was strange how the idea of being taken in his arms to dance brought no fear or discomfort to her mind. In fact, she was actually looking forward to learning what he might teach her.

Someday, she imagined a grand occasion, herself in a flowing ballgown and Beast in his finery too, as they danced the night away under a glittering chandelier. Perhaps, given how badly her attempts at learning others skills had turned out, Belle should not get ahead of herself, but somehow, she had a good feeling about this one, and about her new teacher too.

Perhaps dancing was the perfect new talent for Belle to learn, and perhaps there would be no better person to learn with than Beast.


End file.
